Disclaimer: This blog post is a description of my experience using an infused mushroom tea as apart of my personal self-care. As with anything, there are a number of concerns if you do choose to incorporate any plant, powder, potion, or pill into your lifestyle. Please practice caution, do plenty of research, and ensure your environment is safe before you consume. 

As a nutritionist and cannabis patient, practicing self-care is definitely apart of my lifestyle … so to celebrate the closing of this decade, I decided to give myself some overdue self-care in the form of a bath while drinking infused tea on the Winter Solstice of 2019. Although these activities are a great way to spend any evening, this Cannawitch has a lot more to offer herself than just warm bathwater and herbs. 

My celebration started with a healthy dose of cannabis consumed as bong rips, dab hits, and edibles followed by full-spectrum hemp drops from Papa and Barkley. My parents and I then took a 5-minute drive to Ski Big Bear in Masthope, PA where our afternoon was filled with snowboarding, lunch, and cocktails. Upon our return back to our chalet (as I like to call it), I sparked my pre-roll joint from MaryJane_NYC_ promptly at 4:20 to begin my LIVE Joints with Jackie session with my mom as my guest. 

On my IG story, I asked my tribe which Earth Lady Mushroom Infused Tea from Orcannyc should I try first, Raspberry Spice or Yogi Tea. At 6 PM the poll closed, my tub was filled, and I was ready to steep the winner, Yogi Tea, in boiling water before climbed into the tub big enough for two. After I turned on the jets, I dropped my CBD Bath Bomb from ONYX and Rose and sank into the lightly lavender-scented water while slowly sipping my tea.

While I Iaid in a jetted hot bath with heated water hugging me, I inhaled a deep breath of ginger and spices as my tea mug approached my lips. Unlike any other mushroom ingestion experiences (usually chewing and swallowing as fast a possible), I thoroughly savored every sip of this lightly sweetened and well-balanced familiar tea. Tasted so good that if I did not know it was infused, I would not have known until the trip began (and be pleasantly surprised). If I wasn’t already so cozy in a tub, this tea would have warmed me on the inside and kept me snug like bug.

If you had the chance to catch my IG story you would have seen I enjoyed my bath, even before I felt anything from my tea. Then after 15 minutes or so of splashing around and playing in a tub like a child, I started to feel a wave of a calm crash over me. My trip began.

At first, I was not sure what I wanted to do… right before this calm wave hit me I started to get antsy and bored. The warm water and jets started to be too much and I was about to make moves to exit the tub, then WHAM! I couldn’t move (in a good way) … my eyes got really heavy and all I wanted to do was lie there while the jets massaged water against me. When I was finally ready to open my eyes, I stared at the tile and window curtains hoping to see kaleidoscopic movements or some cool visuals, but not yet. I may have spent an hour in the tub just straight chillin (or I guess tripping), and eventually worked up the energy to drain the tub, rinse off, then moisturize and dress. 

Following my rejuvenating bath, I felt refreshed and inspired so I worked on my IG story a bit and felt really proud of what I created. I shared my work with my parents which resulted in a rush of positive emotions expressed in a playful dance in my living room with my pet small parrot, Pistachio, and ended with a cuddle pic of him cupped in my hand in front of the fireplace. I then parked myself on the couch to join my parents while they were watching a movie, but after while it started to give me a headache and a little anxious as a result of focusing on a negative storyline so I took a bong hit and transitioned into my room. 

The lights were dimmed and I played the “Chill Out” playlist on Spotify … this was what I was wanted. I stared at my curtains again with the goal of getting those visuals I craved, and shortly after it happened. Subtle pulse-like movements shadowing the pattern of the window curtain fabric. As I focused on them the headache disappeared and the calmness returned, that feeling of warm and cozy on the inside and outside. When I closed my eyes the cozy and warmth began to emit from within me and I want to believe I could actually feel the energy exchange between me and my universe. 

My mom walked into my room to check on me and offer the bong but she saw me in a trance-like state of calm. She then sat next to me and started to rub my shoulders, so I immediately turned over to accept her “offer” of a back massage. Without hesitation, she began to rub my upper and lower back, massaging her thumbs to my preferred pressure and when her hands arrived at my exposed arms and legs, the warmth of her touch radiated through me to my soul. Eventually, she took advantage of this one on one time to start the normal mommy lecture of stating what she wants for me and the expectation of her daughter’s life. I quickly lifted my head and said, “Mommy, not now. I’m tripping.” and she stopped. 

This gave me a moment to reflect on my intention for this mushroom trip and how things are definitely not what either of us would have expected for me when I graduated from college in 2010. But then there was a flash of excitement as I realized how happy and loved I was at this moment. For the first time in a long time, most things in my personal and professional life make sense. I feel at peace concerning my past and present, and I am excited about my future and motivated for 2020. This bath was more than just self-care for my body …  it felt more like love and care for my soul. 

A mellow trip that had me in a cuddle coma with Pistachio fireside, followed by a backrub by my mommy listening to the sounds of tranquility. If this isn’t an example of the utmost care of self, then I don’t know what is.